Durham leads Golden Kings to victory against former team

November 15, 2023 – Okinawa Arena, Okinawa, Japan

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Ryukyu Golden Kings claimed their second victory of the EASL season after a convincing 89-61 home win against PBA side Meralco Bolts in Okinawa on Wednesday. Allen Durham was unstoppable against his former team, with 16 points and 9 rebounds for the B.LEAGUE champions.

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Post-game triple

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1. Durham defeats former team

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Golden Kings forward Allen Durham was a menace against his former team. He finished the game with 16 points and added nine rebounds and six assists.

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Durham spent four seasons with the Bolts, leading them to three PBA Governors’ Cup Finals appearances, while winning the PBA Best Import award three times.

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2. There is no “I” in “Ryukyu”

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Nine players recorded points for the Golden Kings and the team out-assisted TNT 25-11 in a masterful display of teamwork.

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Four Golden Kings scored in double figures, led by Keita Imamura, who had a team-high 19 points. Imamura has led Ryukyu in scoring in all three EASL matches this season, averaging 17.3 points.

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3. Bolts had a shooting outage

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Meralco Bolts, on the EASL stage for the first time, had a tough day shooting the ball. They started the game with a lot of promise, going nine for 18 from the field to finish the first quarter with a four-point lead.

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But it went downhill from there, as the PBA side combined to shoot 12 of 44 from the field in the next three quarters for a dismal 27 percent. Meralco scored just 44 points in the final three quarters of the game.

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EASL Player of the Game: Allen Durham, Ryukyu Golden Kings

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Allen Durham played a well-rounded game offensively, scoring 16 points while adding nine rebounds and six assists. He shot efficiently from the field, making five of his seven shots, while hitting all three of his three-point attempts.

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The only knock in Durham’s game was his performance on the charity stripe, as he was only able to make three of his eight free throw attempts.

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Stat of the day

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The Golden Kings shot the ball incredibly well from deep on Wednesday, hitting 18 of 35 for an absurd 51 percent from beyond the arc. Imamura led the onslaught with five three-pointers to his name.

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The Bolts, on the other hand, shot just eight threes in the game, making two.

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Quotes of the day

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Ryukyu Golden Kings forward Allen Durham

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On playing against his former team:

“It was a great game. It was good to see my old teammates, my old guys. I wish them the best of luck this season.”

On playing Meralco again in Macau on December 13:

“I’m very excited. I was excited to go back to the Philippines, but Macau is a good alternative. I heard it’s a nice city. Hopefully, have some fun and get the win.”

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Next games

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Ryukyu Golden Kings: away vs. Meralco Bolts (December 13)

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Meralco Bolts: away vs. New Taipei Kings (November 29)